By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES across Nigeria entered a second week of disruption as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) dismissed the Federal Government’s directive enforcing a ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy against lecturers involved in its ongoing two-week warning strike.
The union maintained that its members would not be intimidated or divided by what it described as deliberate attempts to weaken the academic community.
The strike, announced on Sunday, 13 October 2025, followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum earlier issued to the Federal Government.
ASUU said the action became inevitable after what it termed the government’s slow response to long-standing demands on lecturers’ welfare, university funding, and the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, reiterated that the union was united in its course and undeterred by government pressure.
“We don’t respond to threats, and nobody can threaten us,” Piwuna said, insisting that the academic body would not yield to what it viewed as intimidation.
He criticised the government’s communication with other university unions, describing it as an attempt to divide the ranks of academics.
“He is threatening us, writing to NAMDA and CONUA, telling them they can get their salaries. He wants to divide us, but we are united in this matter,” he said, referring to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
Piwuna maintained that the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) were in alignment with ASUU’s position.
“CONUA is with us, NAMDA is with us, SSANU is with us, NASU is with us. The polytechnics and colleges of education are also with us,” he added.
The ASUU President advised the Minister of Education to prioritise resolving the crisis through dialogue instead of threats. “He had better sit down and solve this problem or he will fail in trying to divide us,” he said.
Piwuna noted that despite the standoff, ASUU remained open to negotiation and would welcome government engagement to end the impasse.
“Today, I received a call from the Minister of State for Labour. She said she has been directed to intervene and get this matter resolved. ASUU is willing.
“We are ready and available to discuss this matter once and for all,” he said.
FG Insists ‘No Work, No Pay’ Policy
The Federal Government, however, has maintained that it will not back down from enforcing the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy, citing extant labour laws.
A circular dated 13 October 2025, signed by the Minister of Education, directed all vice-chancellors of federal universities to enforce the policy against lecturers who fail to perform their duties during the strike period.
The circular was copied to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the pro-chancellors of federal universities, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“In line with extant provisions of labour laws, the Federal Government reiterates its position on the enforcement of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy in respect of any employee who fails to discharge his or her official duties during the period of strike action,” the letter stated.
The directive further instructed vice-chancellors to conduct roll calls and physical headcounts of all academic staff and submit reports showing those present and performing their official duties.
Academic staff under CONUA and NAMDA not participating in the strike were exempted.
“The National Universities Commission (NUC) has been instructed to monitor compliance and submit a consolidated report within seven days,” the circular noted.
Dr Alausa expressed the FG’s displeasure over ASUU’s decision to proceed with the nationwide strike despite what he described as ongoing discussions and repeated appeals for dialogue.
He said all outstanding issues raised by the union had been addressed and that the new strike was “unnecessary and unjustified.”
ASUU, however, insisted that the government had not implemented any of the key resolutions from previous negotiations.
The union maintained that the issues at the centre of the dispute included withheld salaries, unfulfilled agreements, and inadequate funding for public universities.
“Our 2009 agreement, still under renegotiation after eight years, remains inconclusive. The appeal to shelve the strike came too late,” Piwuna said earlier at a press conference held at the University of Abuja (UNIAbuja).
The union explained that its two-week warning strike followed a resolution of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held earlier in October.
According to the union, the action is a signal to government that lecturers will no longer tolerate delays in addressing the terms of their long-standing agreement.
“The strike is total and comprehensive, and all branches have been directed to withdraw services,” Piwuna said.
The government’s ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy has been a recurring flashpoint in labour disputes with ASUU. During the eight-month strike of 2022, lecturers’ salaries were withheld for the duration of the action.
The dispute over payment eventually ended after a court order compelled the union to return to work.
In 2023, the government approved a partial waiver, releasing four months’ worth of withheld salaries to the lecturers. Payment for the remaining months remains one of the unresolved issues contributing to the current industrial action.
The Ministry of Education has stated that it remains open to dialogue, urging ASUU to suspend the strike to enable constructive engagement.
“The government is open to continued negotiation to resolve all outstanding matters,” the Ministry’s statement read.
Meanwhile, academic activities across universities remain paralysed. Students have been forced to vacate campuses, and ongoing examinations, research programmes, and project defences have been suspended indefinitely.
Administrative work has also slowed, with some institutions operating skeletal services.
At several universities, student unions have expressed frustration over the recurring disruption of academic calendars. Some have called on the FG to engage in genuine dialogue to prevent prolonged closure of institutions.
University managements have also expressed concern about the long-term effects of repeated strikes on institutional reputation, research funding, and accreditation.
A senior university administrator, speaking off-record, said the cycle of strikes had eroded confidence among both students and parents.
For many academic staff, the latest action reflects deeper dissatisfaction with working conditions and funding.
Several lecturers have argued that public universities continue to suffer from inadequate infrastructure, limited research support, and delayed staff promotions.
Since 2009, successive governments have signed multiple memoranda with ASUU, covering issues such as salary structure, revitalisation funds, and earned academic allowances.
Many of these agreements remain unimplemented, forming the basis of the union’s repeated industrial actions.
In previous negotiations, ASUU had demanded full implementation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, payment of withheld salaries, release of revitalisation funds for public universities, and adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as a replacement for the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The government had promised to review these demands but later maintained that the financial burden was unsustainable without reforms in public sector payroll management.
As the warning strike enters its second week, uncertainty looms over whether the union and the government will reach a resolution before the action escalates into a full-blown nationwide shutdown of academic institutions.
Officials from the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MLE) have reportedly initiated informal contact with ASUU leadership to resume dialogue, though no formal meeting has been announced.
